Stanford University, United States of America.
Pennsylvania State University, United States of America.
Child Abuse Negl. 2023 Aug;142(Pt 1):105572. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105572. Epub 2022 Feb 23.
Cross-sectional studies link adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with school disengagement, contributing to chronic absenteeism and underachievement.
This prospective longitudinal study explored malleable mediators that might account for the developmental progression from early childhood ACEs to preadolescent school disengagement. Negative cascades were tested that explored student-teacher relationship quality and child behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing) as potential mediators.
556 children were recruited from Head Start preschool classrooms (M = 4.67 years old, SD = 0.32; 51% female; 58% European American, 25% African American, 19% Latinx) at which time parents reported on ACEs.
Children were followed longitudinally; kindergarten and third grade teachers rated student-teacher relationship quality and classroom behavior problems. Students described their school engagement (i.e., academic involvement, school bonding, and teacher affiliation) in fifth grade as they prepared for the transition into middle school.
Path models documented a mediated cascade linking early childhood ACES through poor kindergarten student-teacher relationship quality to elevated third grade internalizing problems (mediation path β = 0.018, SE = 0.009, p < 0.05) which, in turn, led to reduced fifth-grade school engagement (mediation path β = 0.027, SE = 0.014, p = 0.05). Early childhood ACEs also predicted elevated externalizing problems in elementary school, but without mediation by student-teacher relationship quality or link to fifth-grade school engagement.
Results are discussed in light of understanding developmental processes that link early ACEs with school difficulties and informing the design of preventive interventions for children at risk.
横断面研究表明，不良的儿童经历（ACEs）与学校脱节有关，导致慢性旷课和成绩不佳。
本前瞻性纵向研究探讨了可塑的中介因素，这些因素可能解释了从儿童早期 ACEs 到青春期前学校脱节的发展过程。测试了负面级联，探讨了师生关系质量和儿童行为问题（内化和外化）作为潜在的中介因素。
从 Head Start 学前班教室（M=4.67 岁，SD=0.32；51%女性；58%欧洲裔美国人，25%非裔美国人，19%拉丁裔）招募了 556 名儿童，当时父母报告了 ACEs。
儿童进行了纵向随访；幼儿园和三年级教师对学生-教师关系质量和课堂行为问题进行了评分。学生在五年级时描述了他们的学校参与度（即学术参与度、学校归属感和教师联系），因为他们正准备进入中学。
路径模型记录了一个中介级联，将儿童早期 ACEs 与较差的幼儿园学生-教师关系质量联系起来，导致三年级内化问题升高（中介路径β=0.018，SE=0.009，p<0.05），进而导致五年级学校参与度降低（中介路径β=0.027，SE=0.014，p=0.05）。儿童早期 ACEs 也预测了小学时期的外化问题升高，但没有通过学生-教师关系质量的中介作用或与五年级学校参与度的联系。
结果在理解将早期 ACEs 与学校困难联系起来的发展过程方面进行了讨论，并为处于风险中的儿童提供了预防干预措施的设计信息。
